More Chinese use smartwatches to battle sleep difficulties

As more Chinese people experience sleeping difficulties, the demand for sleep-monitoring smartwatches saw a 20% surge last year, making the country the most significant market.

According to the 2025 China Sleep Health Survey Report released by the China Sleep Big Data Center, 48.5 percent of adults aged 18 or above in China experience sleep-related difficulties, including issues such as frequent night-time urination, daytime fatigue, early awakening, and difficulty falling asleep.

Meanwhile, a recent report by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that global shipments of wrist-worn devices dipped by 1.4 percent in 2024; China's market defied the trend, growing by nearly 20 percent to cement its position as the world's largest wearable device consumption market. Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple are the market leaders.

"I usually stay up late, sometimes till 1:00 or 2:00. I sometimes even stay up all-night to play video games," said a resident.

The trend reflects a broader shift. Around 78 percent of Chinese respondents now use smartwatches or similar devices to track sleep patterns, as revealed by healthcare tech firm ResMed.

"In the past, I used to wake up with a start by the sound of my alarm. And I would feel very tired. The smart watch can wake me up with slight vibrations and wake me up slowly," said the resident.

This sleep watch wearer from Shanghai started using a smartwatch to monitor his sleep quality in 2022.

"At the beginning, I wore both my heart rate belt and the watch to monitor my sleep quality. And they turned out have the same results. But the watch had very detailed data for the durations of deep and light sleep," he said.

For innovation spearheading Huawei, it ranks first in the world with a year-on-year smartwatch shipment increase of 33.6 percent, with a nearly 35 percent market share in China, according to the IDC report.

"I bought a watch at the beginning of the year for my father. It can measure blood pressure and sleep quality, as my father has high blood pressure," said a customer in the store.

More Chinese use smartwatches to battle sleep difficulties

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Peng Qinghua on Friday attended the inauguration of Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.

Peng, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, also met with President Nandi-Ndaitwah to discuss bilateral relations.

During their meeting, Peng conveyed Xi's warm congratulations on and best wishes for Nandi-Ndaitwah's inauguration and the 35th anniversary of Namibia's independence, which coincided with the inauguration. Peng highlighted the profound traditional friendship between China and Namibia, noting that this year also marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Peng said China is willing to take this opportunity to continue close high-level exchanges with Namibia, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and bolster international coordination, so as to carry forward the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the benefit of the two peoples.

Nandi-Ndaitwah thanked Xi for sending a special envoy to attend her inauguration and asked Peng to convey her cordial greetings to the Chinese president. She spoke highly of Namibia-China relations, thanked China for its long-standing support and assistance to Namibia, and expressed the hope for the deepening of the friendly cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Dignitaries and representatives from nearly 30 countries and international and regional organizations attended the inauguration.

Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Namibian president